BEIJING: In late December 2019, managers at Volkswagen headquarters in Wolfsburg realised they might have a serious problem in China, the company's biggest market and ticket to its electric future. It was a significant cost for a company that had said it was trying to trim manufacturing costs in China and globally. "In China there are central barriers on the highways," Volkswagen added. FAW-Volkswagen saw sales grow 23% while overall Chinese passenger car sales jumped about 29%. Volkswagen's China chief Stephan Woellenstein acknowledged in January that the failed crash test and subsequent online backlash had triggered the decline in Passat and SAIC venture sales.
